Motor vehicle theft has and continues to be a problem for automobile and truck owners. Frequently, motor vehicles which are stolen are seriously damaged, stripped of parts, or resold. The chances of a successful recovery of a stolen motor vehicle diminish dramatically from the time of the theft.
Recently, car jacking has added yet another dimension to the problem of motor vehicle theft. In a car jacking, the thief forcibly removes the driver and any passengers from a motor vehicle and then drives away. Often the typical reaction for a driver and any passenger is to resist the thief's attempts. However, this reaction can prove to be deadly, because the thief will usually fight back injuring or killing the driver and any passengers.
Existing motor vehicle security systems do not adequately address the unique problem of car jackings. These systems do not take into account the safety of the driver and any passengers safety in a car jacking while still providing a means for a quick recovering of the stolen motor vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,492 to Vinokur and U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,207 to Havenhill, et al. disclose security systems which are only designed to prevent the theft of a parked motor vehicle. These systems are of little, if any, use in car jackings. Others, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,933 to Cort, U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,776, to Jeter, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,878 to Smith disclose security systems which are activated by timers or by the first press of the brake pedal. The timers can expire and the brake pedal can be pressed before the thief has driven any distance from the point of the crime. As a result, the thief can still get out of the motor vehicle and take out his frustrations on the driver and any passengers.
Accordingly, there is a need for a motor vehicle security system which provides the driver and passengers an opportunity to escape safely while still allowing for the quick recovery of the stolen motor vehicle.